The server infrastructure of a VPN service has a lot to do with the logs that they keep. Top VPN IAPS Security explains this relationship as it weighs heavily on user privacy.
Servers and Logs
Running and maintaining servers requires data. Without data it is very difficult to know if the servers are running properly. If there are any problems, this data will tell what is wrong. VPN services need some kind of data log to keep everything running smoothly. But this does not mean that the data must be kept forever. Most VPN services say that they provide users with privacy and yet must log user activity. The best they can do to truly ensure user privacy is to run their own servers and take logs only as needed and only for a few days.
Few VPN providers run their own servers. Most rent them along with the networks they use. This makes it more difficult to ensure that the user data that passes through those servers is not stored. In most cases, this data leaves the servers only if it is requested by the authorities. But it would be the same for any other VPN provider. If a provider is ordered to log the data of a criminal suspect, chances are they would have no choice but to comply.
